This application claims benefit of Japanese Application No. 2000-074518 filed in Japan on Mar. 16, 2000, the contents of which are incorporated by this reference.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns an image display device, and relates to a projection-type image display device, configured using a one-dimensional display device, or a plurality of same combined as a unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Among conventional projection-type image display devices which enlarge and project an image on a screen are projection-type display using cathode ray tubes. Also, in recent years, liquid crystal projection-type displays have been developed which use liquid crystal panels as light valves. In such conventional liquid crystal projection-type displays, a video signal is reproduced on a liquid crystal panel which executes two-dimensional display, and light from a light source is modulated by the two-dimensional image reproduced on the above liquid crystal panel; this image is enlarged and projected onto a screen by an optical system.
On the other hand, there is a technique, such as described for example in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. H5-292439, in which light irradiated from a light source is modulated by one-dimensional optical modulation means in which liquid crystal pixels or similar are arranged in a single column shape, and by scanning this one-dimensional modulated light in directions perpendicular to the column direction using a polygon mirror or other perpendicular deflection means, a single two-dimensional image is displayed. Other techniques use laser light as the light source, as for example in Japanese Patent Publications No. 2788770 and 2796684.
However, in the above methods extremely high speeds are required for rewriting of the one-dimensional optical modulation means, in proportion to the number of pixels in the displayed image, in order to display high-resolution, large-screen images. Hence the difficulty in displaying flicker-free high-resolution, large-screen images poses a problem.
Also, when displaying a two-dimensional image which is long in the horizontal direction, the distance from the perpendicular deflection means to the screen is increased, and the overall device becomes large. Or, the perpendicular deflection means must provide larger deflection angles, and the number of polygon mirror faces is reduced, so that the scanning speed per frame is reduced, giving rise to such problems as the occurrence of flicker and darker image display.
One object of this invention is to provide an image display device capable of the flicker-free display of high-resolution, large-screen images.
An image display device, of the present invention, for displaying images on a screen, comprises a columnar display unit, comprising a plurality of means, arranged in parallel, which emit one-dimensional images; a control member which applies image signals to said columnar display unit; a perpendicular deflection means, which deflects light emitted from said columnar display unit in directions perpendicular to the column direction, and scans said screen; and, an image-forming optical system which forms an image, from said perpendicular deflection means, on said screen, according to the change in the distance from said columnar display unit to said screen.
Further, an image display device, of the present invention, for displaying images on a screen, comprises a plurality of columnar display units, in which a plurality of means, which emit one-dimensional color images, are arranged in parallel to form one columnar display unit; a control member which applies image signals to each of said columnar display units; at least one perpendicular deflection means which deflects light emitted from each of said columnar display units in directions perpendicular to the column direction, and which scans said screen; and, a plurality of image-forming optical systems which form an image, from said perpendicular deflection means, on said screen, according to the change in the distance from each of said columnar display units to said screen.